Latent myofascial trigger point injection improves symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study participants, mean ± SD/n (%)

Characteristic	Total (N = 60)	Injection group (n = 30)	Medication group (n = 30)	P value
Mean age (years)	42.5 ± 8.7	41.8 ± 8.5	43.2 ± 8.9	0.562
Gender				0.589
Female	37 (61.7)	18 (60.0)	19 (63.3)
Male	23 (38.3)	14 (46.7)	9 (30.0)
Disease type				0.752
Irritable bowel syndrome	27 (45)	15 (50)	12 (40)
Functional dyspepsia	21 (35)	9 (30)	12 (40)
Functional abdominal pain	12 (20)	6 (20)	6 (20)
Mean disease duration (years)	3.4 ± 1.8	3.2 ± 1.7	3.5 ± 1.9	0.487
Body mass index (kg/m2)	23.8 ± 3.3	23.5 ± 3.2	24.1 ± 3.5	0.612
Education level				0.785
Below college	22 (36.7)	11 (36.7)	11 (36.7)
Undergraduate	25 (41.7)	12 (40)	13 (43.3)
Postgraduate and above	13 (21.6)	7 (23.3)	6 (20)
Smoking status				0.810
Smoker	15 (25.0)	8 (26.7)	7 (23.3)
Non-smoker	45 (75.0)	22 (73.3)	23 (76.7)
Alcohol consumption				0.720
Yes	12 (20.0)	6 (20.0)	6 (20.0)
No	48 (80.0)	24 (80.0)	24 (80.0)
Physical activity level				0.650
Low	18 (30.0)	9 (30.0)	9 (30.0)
Moderate	27 (45.0)	14 (46.7)	13 (43.3)
High	15 (25.0)	7 (23.3)	8 (26.7)
Comorbidities				0.900
Hypertension	10 (16.7)	5 (16.7)	5 (16.7)
Diabetes mellitus	8 (13.3)	4 (13.3)	4 (13.3)
Cardiovascular disease	6 (10.0)	3 (10.0)	3 (10.0)